


hidden in heartbeats, exhales, and in the hope of open hands

by Laora



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: 100-word Drabbles, Character Study, Gen, I could tag all 20 characters if you really want me to but...why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26288458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laora/pseuds/Laora
Summary: Shibuya, as told by those who know her best.[ Or, twenty people affected by the Long Game, its Players, and all the things that come after. ]
Comments: 12
Kudos: 27





	hidden in heartbeats, exhales, and in the hope of open hands

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I WAS gonna write a Shiki drabble collection and then things got out of hand so now have 20 drabbles with like literally every character in the game i hope you like them
> 
> there's canon typical violence/blood mentioned and obviously death discussed but like, nothing really bad
> 
> Title's borrowed from Five by Sleeping At Last!
> 
> ~~i've checked and double checked and they're all 100 words exactly WHY is the word count on ao3 off by 3 /pain~~

_i. sanae_

The Higher Plane hums in interest, bright and burning like a thousand exploding stars.

Sanae feels it, the moment the UG contracts and the Long Game begins. He knows his beautiful city hangs in the balance; he hates what he's willing to do to protect it.

Shibuya _screams,_ euphoric; her Composer has chosen a Proxy. Sanae barely needs to glance at the boy's Soul to know why the city now sings arias to the heavens.

The Proxy is angry— lost— _blinding_ in his untapped potential. He's going to change _everything_.

Sanae lets out a breath. Then, he gets to work.

* * *

_ii. rhyme_

Rhyme pretends not to notice the way Beat looks at them.

They like him, really they do— he's loud and blustering, but he's bright and confident, too. They fight together fluidly, almost like they're ~~sib~~ twins.

Still, sometimes they catch him staring at them like he's lost something important. Later, they think. They'll ask him later.

Maybe after they get to Cyco Records. Maybe after they've gotten Neku to crack a smile, and gotten Shiki to relax. Maybe after the four of them are _safe_ again.

But there's a flash on the pavement beneath their ~~bro~~ partner's feet, and Rhyme doesn't hesitate—

* * *

_Iii. shiki_

Neku snarls like a wounded animal, hiding behind his headphones. It's obvious that he hates her. Shiki smiles because it's better than crying, and hugs Mr. Mew, and carries on.

 _What am I doing wrong?_ she asks her phone, but she never gets an answer. Eventually she must take the leap, and stand with her own feet beneath her, and force herself to move forward. It's then that she learns: she's able to balance just fine.

A fire ignites in her heart; she is _so sick_ of being useless. (She's stronger than she's ever been, even in her wildest dreams.)

* * *

_iv. yodai_

His prized ingredient has spoiled, well before its expiration date. Yodai is _furious._

He sees the threads tying Misaki to her Partner, stronger than the envy ever was. He sees the fear charred to the bottom of the pan, left behind and forgotten.

He sees their Pact, bolder than any spice, and knows that even his best dish could never stand up to such a five-star meal. But he is nothing if not loyal to the Conductor; if this will be his just desserts, then he'll ensure that she'll need to fry up an exquisite dish to claim her prize.

* * *

_v. mina_

Ai buys her lunch to apologize for the whole _Mick_ thing, but they both know what it's really about.

"How's she doing?" Ai asks, frowning. Mina sighs, remembers the desolate look on their friend's face yesterday, and confesses: Eri may not ever be okay.

Honestly, she feels horrible, that they never invited Misaki out. If Eri thought so highly of her, she must've—

Ai swears softly, rubbing at her eyes. "I don't know what to do. I've never…"

"I wish we could help," Mina whispers, but neither of them ever even met Misaki— and now Eri’s closest friend is gone.

* * *

_vi. sho_

Sho thought he'd have to recalculate, after his disaster in the RG, but he's surprised on Day 1: 2 unexpected variables appear.

The orange fractal from the mural, who he's _sure_ was supposed to get crunched last week— and his Partner, empirically the Composer, smiling at them both like he's done the derivations and knows the solution down to the last decimal.

Well, Sho'll integrate him. He's the GM, now— an exponential power shift— and he's nearing a perfect proof for Taboo.

That yoctogram's milliseconds are numbered, and Sho grins, feral. He can't wait to count them down to 0.

* * *

_vii. shuto_

Look, he's not gonna sugarcoat it and say the dude's gonna be the next Tin Pin master. But that teenager that came in was a newbie trying his best, and even if Shuto didn't go easy on him in the qualifiers, it's only polite to greet him after the tourney.

It takes him a few minutes to get free of the crowds, but Shuto's got eyes on Blue and his friend the whole time. He's _sure_ he didn't lose sight of them when they pushed open the door.

So why, when he steps outside after them, is the street deserted?!

* * *

_viii. koki_

Phones isn't the first to play the Game twice in a row. But Koki's alarmed when he sees the way he operates with his new Partner, because it's _wrong_ , in a way he can't quite place.

He'll give him this: Neku's talented, his Soul blinding— and he's only growing stronger as time passes in the UG. But there's something off about the blond kid…

Koki's never liked mysteries.

Luckily for him, their Pact flickers, blips, as they fight off the Taboo, and that tells him everything he needs to know. _How much shit has Phones gotten himself into this time?_

* * *

_ix. sota_

Well, Sota figured he had no chance at winning this Game anyway. (He was hoping that Nao'd make it out, at least. After his own stupidity got her killed…)

But there's nothing left for it. Neku and Josh Erased the Noise, but Sota's mind is fuzzy as his brand-new timer counts down. Seven minutes, huh? That doesn't leave him long.

Neku's staring at him, pained; Josh's face is inscrutable. "You two win, okay?" Sota says, throwing on his best smile because _fuck,_ kids like them don't deserve this.

The light consumes him, and Neku screams, and Sota closes his eyes.

* * *

_x. beat_

Sure, he don't like Phones. He made Rhyme sad, and he was a dick to Shiki, and he just— he rubs Beat the wrong way, that's all.

But that don't mean the GM can just _Erase the other Players_ to screw him over, that's _bullshit._ (Anyway, he went out of his way to make sure Beat got Rhyme's necklace back. So maybe he's not—)

Their Pact overwhelms his soul— different from the one he had with Rhyme, more hard edges and unstoppered fury— before he stares down Pinky with a grin. Yeah, he thinks they can do this just fine.

* * *

_xi. ken_

Ken knows some of his patrons aren't human.

Oh, they're convincing enough, most of the time— but Ken supposes he has a knack for this. He couldn't guess what they are, though, even if he cared to.

The orange-haired kid from last week rushes in, a new friend in tow— and Ken takes one look at their faces before bumping their order up the queue. He throws an extra egg in their bowls before handing them over, and smiles to himself as the kids whoop in delight.

Whoever they are, he thinks maybe they just need a little help, sometimes.

* * *

_xii. uzuki_

Kariya's on edge, and that's more than enough to worry Uzuki, too.

A living player last week? Skulls defecting to join Sakuraba for a _third_ round? (Who _chooses_ to play the Game three times? Shit, the kid must be losing it.)

But that's beside the point, because there's Taboo Noise around, and something strange is happening to the RG, and Kariya is worried—

She palms her O-Pin to keep herself grounded, and takes a deep breath. They'll be fine, if only because she's going directly to the Conductor after this and _demanding_ a promotion for the shit she's been through.

* * *

_xiii. makoto_

_Okay, Mick, keep it together._

It's Shibuya— weird stuff happens. Sometimes, the newest craze involves people turning into zombies and mumbling nonsense, right? _Right?_

He's _this_ close to closing up shop and hiding in his apartment when Neku walks in. Usually, Mick dreads these visits— but today, seeing him and his friend looking _normal_ makes him want to hug them both.

Neku's distracted as he orders, turning toward his friend to talk quietly. Mick takes a deep, shuddering breath before getting to work.

He never thought it'd be him and these creepy kids against the world, but…weirder things have happened.

* * *

_xiv. mitsuki_

She has worked too hard and too long to watch a couple of _children_ ruin her plans.

The Sakuraba boy is exceptional, she'll admit; she'd readily make him a Harrier if he agreed to work under her. The other boy, though, is nothing but a brute. Mitsuki has no doubt that the Composer will Erase him without a second thought.

(That is, of course, assuming Minamimoto doesn't get to Them first.)

She smiles from the idiot's shadow, gripping the pin they're so desperate to recover. She is so close. It won't be long before she has achieved her every dream.

* * *

_xv. megumi_

He has tried so hard, and for so long, and it has not been enough. The dread seizing his gut only grows as his timer ticks ever downward.

The Composer isn't satisfied.

His Red Pins have unified the city, but it has come to nothing. The Composer's Proxy, strengthened beyond measure, has overpowered him.

But, maybe, if he is very lucky, the Proxy will save the city anyway. Sakuraba's eyes are wide and frightened as he stares at the Composer.

"Shibuya is in your hands, now," Megumi says to the boy, bowing his head. Then, he succumbs to the Noise.

* * *

_xvi. neku_

This is too much. This is— this is _bullshit._ Josh can't seriously expect him to—

The gun is in his hands, cold and solid. That same _fucking_ smile is on Joshua's face, the gun held steady just like it was—

Fuck this. _Fuck this._ The bastard already took Shiki and Beat, what else does he have to lose?

 _His last Partner._ He can't kill his—

His revolver drops to the ground. A bullet shatters his chest, and Shibuya bleeds out on the floor beneath him.

Despite everything, as the world blurs to nothing, Neku can't bring himself to regret it.

* * *

_xvii. joshua_

Well, isn't _that_ a surprise.

Neku's death rattles are a distant afterthought to Shibuya's music flowing through his Soul again. It's… different, from what he remembers. Comforting. More in line with his dreams for the city, when he first ascended.

Maybe, it's a symphony he'd be happy to continue Composing for.

Neku's Vibe dips, and Sanae makes a small noise beside him. Hm, indeed. He closes his eyes, reaching for the four Souls that saved the city. Neku will kill him if he doesn't bring his friends back, too.

And maybe, finally, Joshua isn't ready to let go just yet.

* * *

_xviii. 777_

Things are… Different now. He just can't put his finger on why.

He's pretty sure there was a Game last week— or, maybe the last few weeks. The band's microphone is missing. He's developed an irrational fear of the dark, which he hides until he realizes the others have it now, too.

But BJ and Tenho are getting along again, and 777's more than happy to continue on as normal. He's got the band to think about, after all.

(The kid with orange hair outside A-East stares at him with wide, terrified eyes, but he has no idea why.)

* * *

_xix. eri_

Shiki's got some new friends and a new outlook on life, and Eri's equally overjoyed and terrified.

Because Neku and Beat are abrasive, but still endearing— and of course, she can't help but love Rhyme. Her bond with Shiki is stronger than ever.

But her friend refuses to wear necklaces or scarves, now. She keeps her phone on silent, and freezes up at countdowns. "It's nothing!" she chirps, when Eri asks, but they know each other too well to lie. Maybe Shiki'll tell her, someday.

Maybe, someday, she'll be able to forget the nightmares where her best friend leaves her behind.

* * *

_xx. shibuya_

Shibuya trills and twirls through the universe as her Music, in tune at last, winds forever onward.

She's always known that she's lucky to have so many rich Souls. She just never knew how vast their potential could be.

Neku paints, and Shiki sews, and Beat loves, and Rhyme begins to dream again. She knows them all, after they saved her and her Composer. She'll do anything she can to help them thrive.

Yoshiya turns to her, asking her opinion on adding a new verse to their duet. Her Music swells, and their city sings as they get to work.


End file.
